Device for drilling wells



w. J. B|ELsTE|r-i DEVICE FOR DRILLING WELLS Original Filed May 21, 1952 ,MEX A Feb. 5, 1957 FIG. 8-

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United Statcs Patent O DEVICE FOR- DRILLING WELLS Walter I. Bielsteln, Corpus Christi, Tex., assignor, by mesne ents, to Esso Research and Engineering Company, Elizabeth, N. I., a corporation of Delaware Original application May 2l, 1952, Serial No. 289,159, now Patent No. 2,735,653, dated February 21, 1956. and this application .lune 17, 1955, Serial No.

3 Claims. (Cl. 255-3) The present invention is directed to a device for drilling a well in an earth formation. More particularly, the invention is directed to apparatus in which vibrations are created for drilling a well. l

In its more specic aspects, the invention is directed to well drilling devices in which a well bore is drilled by a simultaneous rotation and vibrations of a drill stem.

This application is a division of Serial No. 289,159, tiled May 21, 1952, for Walter J. Bielstein and entitled Device for Drilling Wells, now U. S. Patent 2,735,653.

The device of the present invention may be briey described as involving a hollow drill stem adapted to be connected at its lower end to a drill bit having a passageway for iluid therethrough. The drill stem has at least one drill collar arranged within it and within the drill collar is a valve comprising a rotatable element which has at least one passageway for ow of drilling fluid through the passageway. The valve is adapted to be opened and closed alternately by rotation of the rotatable clement. Means integral with or connected to the rotatable element are provided for rotating the element to open and close the valve whereby vibrations are created for transmittal downwardly in the drill stem and to the drill bit on interruption of v fluid flow through the valve. The apparatus contemplates provision of means for preventing upward travel of vibrations in the drill stem. To accomplish such end a spline or key arranged in a keyway above the drill collar is provided which allows the vibrations resulting from interruption of uid flow through the valve to be transmitted downwardly on the drill stem.

vlhe invention will be further illustrated by reference to the drawing in which- Fig. l is a sectional view of one embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a view looking downwardly on the `valve and valve housing of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a view looking downwardly on the rotatable element or valve plate;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view smilarto Fig. l showing a preferred embodiment of a valve employed in the present invention;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view looking down on the valve housing of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a downward view of the rotatable element or plate of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Referring now to `the drawing, numeral 11 designates a drill string having attached to it at its lower end by mating threads 12 a conventional type of drill bit 13,

along the lines 4-4 2,780,438 Patented Feb. 5, 1957 'icc ' l 2 ing 18 is provided with a threaded cap 18a Awhich is threadedly connected to. element 18 by mating threads 18b to allow insertion of the rotatable element 19 therein. Thus, with the cap 18a removed the element 19 is insertedin housing18. The cap 18a is connected to the housing 18. Thereafter the shaft 23 is then connected by key 23' to the element 19. A

It will be noted that the valve housing 18 has ports 21 through which the drillingtluid or mud flows. The valve housing 18 is located in the drill collar 17 with a lockdown ring 22.

Connected to the rotatable plate 19 by a key 23' is a shaft 23 which is provided with a helical vane or spiral valve actuator 24. The shaft 23 is mounted in drill collar 17 on a bearing plate 25 at its upper end which is provided with passageways 26 for passage of drilling fluid from passageway 15 to chamber 16. The shaft 23 is also mounted at its lower end on a bearing 27 in the valve housing 18.

The drill pipe 11a is provided with a recess 28 in which is arranged a packing 29 to seal the drill collar on movement of the device as will be described. To transmit rotation from the drill pipe to the drill collar and to eliminate pulsations from the drill string 11, the drill pipe 11a is provided with kcyways 30 in which are arranged keys or splines 31 on drill collar 17. Keyways 30 and keys 31 are arranged in the drill pipe 11a and collar 17, respectively so that the drill collar assemblage may vibrate and rotate but the drill stem only rotates.

The device of Fig. 1 may be assembled in the disassembled apparatus by inserting the housing 18 into the passage 15 and forcing it to seat on shoulder 18d provided therefor. The lock down ring 22 is then snapped into recess 22a. The shaft 23 is then inserted in passageway 25a in bearing plate 25. The drill collar 17 comprised of parts 17a and 17b is then threadedly connected by mating threads 17e.

Referring now to Figs. 5 to 8, identical numerals will be employed to designate identical parts to Figs. l to 3, a different type of valve including a rotatable element is described. lIn this embodiment of my invention a valve housing `40 is arranged in the drill collar 17 and includes a rotatable valve element 41 provided with passageways v42. The rotatable valve element 4l is provided with and connected to a shaft 43 by a key 43', the shaft 43 being mounted at an upper end in a bearing 44 and at a lower end in a bearing 45. The valve assembly 40 including the rotatable element 41 is locked into position with a lock-down ring 46. Similar to valve housing 18, the valve housing 40 is provided with a cap 40a which is threadedly connected by mating threads 40b to the housing 40 to allow insertion of the rotatable-element 41 in the housing 40 as has been vdescribed with respect to Figs. 1 to 4. In this embodiment of my invention the rotatable element or plate 41 is provided with a plurality of transverse inclined faces or surfaces 47 which allow rotation of the element 41 on impingement of drilling fluid against the faces or surfaces 47. It will be noted further that the valve housing 40 is provided with ports 48 to allow entry of the drilling iluid to the rotatable element and for tl w of drilling fluid into the drill bit 13 and outwardly through passageways 14.

such as a sh tail bit, having water courses or passage- In the embodiment of Fig. 5, the valve housing 40 is inserted in the passageway 15 of the disassembled apparatus and caused to rest on the shoulder 40d. The

lockdown ring 46 is then snapped into place in recess 46a and thereafter the two parts 17a and by mating threads 17c.

The apparatus of the present inventionis employed in the following manner with respect to Figs. l to 4:

As is conventional practice during drilling operations,

17b are connected y uid or mud is pumped down through the passageway 15. In my apparatus the ow is through the passageways 26 andthence against the helical vane 24 which causes rotatio of the shaft 23 which, in turn, ro-

tates the valve pla or element 19. The rotatin of helical vane 24 and shaft 23 causes rotation of rotary valve plate or element 19. Valve housing 18 has passageways 21 through which lluld passes. when pumping operations are inV progress and which serve the purpose of maintaining'circulation vof fluid past the vane 24 so that rotation of the entire elementwill notbe interrupted.

As valve plate or element 19 rotates as a result of uid forces acting against the helical vane,the valve plate urelement 19 travels from a full open position, which is with the two main segments of the valve plate 19 almost completely covered by the blank portion of valve housing 18, to a full closed position which is with the\two main segments of the valve plate 19 opposite the openings in valve housing *18. At the full open position of the valve housing 18 uid travels at a maximum rate,

whereas at the closed position a relatively small volume of fluid llows. 'Ihe rate change in lluid volume is rapid, and the energy lost by the 'fluid in changing Vfrom the maximum rate to a minimum rate of almost zero is dissipated throughtthe drillcollar assembly to the bitand thence to the formation being drilled in the form of avibration. The stopping of the lluid results in a very rapid build up in force on the drill collar as a result of the dissipating kinetic energy contained in' the lluid. ThisA creates a water hammer which results in vibration in the drill collar 17. .This vibration is transmitted downwardly through drill vcollar 17 to the drill bit 13 resulting in a hammer elect on the formations being penetrated by the drill bit 13 and causing a weakening or crushing of structure and allogving the drill bit 13 to penetrate the formations being drilled more readily than heretofore. With the bit arranged on the bottom of the hole and being rotated,` the water hammer elecLcauses the drill bit and drill collar to make the hole deeper by both a cutting and crushing effect on the formation. The

'drill collar having the weight of the drill stem placed on 4thanheretofore.

The apparatus of Figs. 5 to 8 operates in asimilar manner as tothe creation of vibrations. Referring to more readily than heretofore as has been described with respect to Figs. 1 and 2.

r[flic nature and objects of the present invention having been com letely described and illustrated, what I'wish to claim new and useful and to` secure -by Letters Patent is: l A l. A device for drilling a well which comprises, in combinatioma'hollow drill stem, a drill collar arranged within and forming part '.of said drill stem and provided with a passageway for drilling lluid, a drill bit connected to the lower end of said drill collar, a stationary valve housing arranged in the passageway in said drill collar having circumferentially spaced apart diametrically opposed ports for passage of drilling lluid therethrough, a rotatable valve plate arranged in the valve housing, said rotatable valve plate being provided with arcuate segments adapted to cover the ports of said valve housing and said segments being provided with ports sized for passage of a decreased-v of drilling'lluid there through when the`ports in the valve housing are covered by said segments, and a'rotatable shaft arranged in said passageway in the drill collar4 and wattached to said rotatable valve plate carrying ahelical vanetfor rotating said rotatable plate element relative to the ports of said plate housing, flow of drilling iluid through the drill collar passageway impinging against'said vane to rotate said.plate element relativeto the ports of said plate housing to place the segments of the valve plate in correspondence with the 'ports of the valve housing to interrupt w of drilling lluid and to cover said ports in the valve housing, and means in said drill stem above said valve housing and said vane for preventing upward travel of vibrations in said drill stem whereby said vibrations are transmitted downwardly on said drill collar and said drill bit on interruption of liuid ow through the passageway in said drill collar.

2. A device for drilling a well which comprises, in

' combination, a hollow drill stem, a drill collar arranged housipg arranged in the passageway ofsaid drill collar having circumferentially spaced 4apart diametrically opposed ports for passage of drilling lluid therethrough, a. rotatable valve plate arranged in the valve housing, said rotatable valve plate being provided with arcuate vsegments adapted to coverA the ports of said valve housing and said-segments being provided with ports sized for Figs. 5 to 8, it will be seen that the valve operating mechanism is built into the rotatable element. 'Ihe design of the rotating element in Figure 7 is such that the slanting surfaces 47 begin to be exposed to the-openings 48 of valve housing 40 shown in Figure 6 atthe same time ports 42 in the rotating element disappear into theV housing. The location of the inlet to the ports 42 is adjacent the leading edge of the rotating element and the area of the rotating element is greater than the opening 48 in the valve housing. As the slanting surfaces 47 disappear into the valve housing, the inlets to the ports 42 begin totemerge from the housing. Once rotation is started, continued. rotation is assured by the relative location of the two driving surfaces 47 and the ports 42 "and to some extent by the momentum developed by the rotating valve. The passage of drilling liuid from the passageway l5 causes it to impinge on the faces or sur-A passage of a decreased volume of drilling tluid therethrough when the ports in the valve housing are covered by said segments, rotatable means in said passageway in the drill collar connected to said rotatable valve plate for rotating said rotatable valve plate relative to the ports of said valve housing, ow of drilling lluid through the drill collar passageway impinging against said'rotatable means to rotate said valve plate relative to the ports of said' valve housing to place the segments of the valve plate in correspondence with the ports of the valve housing to interrupt said llow of drilling lluid and to cover the ports in the valve housing whereby vibrations are created in said drill collar, and means Aconnecting said drillA collar within said drill stem to prevent upward travel ofesaid vibrations'whereby said vibrations are transmitted downwardly on said drill collar and said drill bit on interruption of fluid flow through the passageway in A said drill collar.

provided with arcuate segments adapted to cover the ports of said valve housing and said segments being' provided with ports sized for passage of a decreased volume of drilling uid therethrough when the ports in the valve housing are covered by said segments, a rotatable shaft arranged in said passageway in the drill collar and attached to said rotatable valve plate carrying a helical vane for rotating said rotatable valve plate on impinging of drilling uid against said vane to rotate said valve plateorelative to the ports of said valve housing to place the segments of the valve plate in correspondence with the ports of the valve housing to' interrupt said ow of drilling lluid and to close the ports in the valve housing, a keyway in said valve plate whereby said vibrations are transmitted downwardly on said drill stem.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 701,391 Pruszkowski lune 3, 1902 1,132,063 Bardeen Mar. 16,' 1915 2,735,653 Bielstein Feb. 2l, 1956 

